


The Albatross

by AkinoAme



Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Arguing, Boundaries, M/M, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 03:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9416612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkinoAme/pseuds/AkinoAme
Summary: In a battle, Eiji does the most Eiji thing possible. Ankh deals with the fallout in the most Ankh way possible.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Late submission for HC Bingo 2016: "Wings."

                It was funny how people's minds worked sometimes.

                Even Ankh had to appreciate the way the Detective's efficiency bled over into his own mind. It made things nice and simple. For example, he knew that the Yummy was one of his imposter's, parented by a would-be pilot, Yamaguchi Mai, who had suffered a nasty crash a year ago. Said pilot was well enough to take to the air again, but nobody was willing to take her on again. Enter the imposter, a Cell Medal, and an albatross Yummy that could easily deflect any attack with its wings and swoop up and away before Eiji could get close.

                The parent's desire was obvious—the chance to fly. That was why Ankh's strategy was basically to let Birth run interference while Eiji tried and failed to attack. However, there was one thing he'd failed to account for: the fact that Eiji was...well, Eiji.

                Anyone who knew Eiji well knew that there was really no other way to describe him. Reckless, lacking self-preservation instincts, frustrating—it all seemed to fall short to explain how in any situation, Eiji could always be counted on to do the most Eiji thing possible.

                When the Yummy circled around its parent and started to dive, so did Eiji—making a wild jump to shield her. A pair of arrows shot out and struck Eiji in the back, piercing right through OOO's armor. He jerked up, his eyes flashing purple as the purple Medals started to react.

                "Damn it," Ankh breathed. As usual, all it took was Eiji's usual Eiji reaction to make everything go wrong.

                The arrows in Eiji's back glowed as his combo changed to PuToTyra, and he held himself tensely, shouting in pain. Knowing they only had seconds to spare, Date charged at him, separating him from the parent.

                "Sorry 'bout the bruises, Hino, but you'll thank me later when you're not a danger to her," he apologized.

                He wasn't willing to listen to the apology, growling back and releasing a blast of ice toward Date, forcing him to pull himself to safety with Crane Arm. PuToTyra responded by extending the spikes on his shoulders, trying to spear him.

                This was a disaster, and Ankh shifted his attention back to the Yummy as it circled overhead. Goto was heading over toward the Yummy parent, so he shouted over, "Leave her! Shoot that thing—get it focused back on us!"

                "Are you crazy?" he replied.

                "Get Eiji focused on it," he ordered back.

                Frustrating as Goto was, he could at least follow a straight line of logic. Drawing the Yummy to them would draw PuToTyra's attention off of Date and take care of their problem all at once. All that was left was to hope that Goto could run fast enough as he fired at the albatross, purposely moving into PuToTyra's line of sight while Date screamed at him to get out of the way.

                The albatross took the bait and started swooping down, just as PuToTyra got annoyed with Goto's interference and awkwardly swiped at him with his tail. Dropping perfectly flat to the ground, Goto just managed to clear the attack, allowing it to hit the Yummy instead, sending it flying into a wall.

                The change in opponent didn't trip up PuToTyra one bit, and he turned all of his attention onto the dazed Yummy as it started to drop Cell Medals. He snatched one up and reached into the ground for his axe, but the Yummy was smart enough to know to try to evade. It took to the air again, and PuToTyra looked up with a growl, ready to take after it.

                That was when everything went even more wrong than before.

                At the same time PuToTyra's wings spread, the arrows began to glow again. Suddenly, not one, but two pairs of wings were extending from his body—the flexible, metallic wings of the combo's armor, and a feathery pair from Eiji's own back.

                The two sets of wings beat against each other, failing to provide any lift, and Eiji began to collapse under their weight. It was almost pitiful to look at him as he struggled to pull himself up, his body rebelling against him just as much as the Medals that affected his mind. But it was just what they needed, as they watched him run out of energy. The transformation canceled itself, and the Medals returned to his body. Eiji gasped for a moment before the light faded from his eyes and he fell over completely.

                The large, purple wings were still outstretched over him, and the tears in the back of his shirt revealed that they had completely integrated with his body.

                The Yummy retreated, and they let it go. Ankh watched silently as Date and Goto went forward and started checking Eiji's back.

                He considered it a major show of restraint when he only screamed in rage, instead of grabbing the unconscious idiot and throwing him against the wall like he wanted to. They should have appreciated it more.

 

~~~

 

                It was a feat getting Eiji back to Cous Coussier. After determining the wings were not, after all, going to fall right off of Eiji's back, Date and Goto wrapped him up in several blankets to help conceal them, then carried him inside, explaining to Chiyoko that he'd fallen in the water and they were trying to warm him up. In retrospect, Ankh supposed he should start worrying about how readily she was accepting their progressively dumber lies, but it got them upstairs with only about ten minutes of time wasted on telling her they were fine and Date was a doctor and would make sure he was okay. Hina followed up as soon as she found a chance, and then, it was time to wait for Eiji to wake up.

                Consciousness came the way it usually did—as if Eiji suddenly realized he was in pain, grimacing before he opened his eyes with a gasp. The alarm was all over his face, and Date and Goto quickly moved to keep him from getting up.

                They didn't need to. The added weight on his back kept him from moving more than a couple of inches.

                "Easy there, Hino, you're not going anywhere," Date warned as he and Goto eased him back down.

                "Are you okay?" Hina asked.

                Despite still wincing, Eiji nodded, insisting, "Yeah. I just..."

                He wasn't looking at the appendages splayed out underneath him, as if they were as grotesque to him as they were to Ankh. There was everything wrong about them—most of the feathers were downy, unlike normal bird feathers, but with some better-developed feathers farther down, like flight feathers but still too small. The color was a deep violet, like a tropical hummingbird; but the wings were almost as large as Eiji was tall, and the wingspan was as long as the albatross that had done this to him. They didn't seem to move right either—twitching when Eiji tried to stay still and refusing to budge when he tried to shift his position.

                Nobody seemed to want to directly bring them up either, since even though Goto watched the way they twitched as Eiji caught his breath, his question was, "How are you feeling?"

                Anyone who knew Eiji like they did knew that he'd only give a fake smile and insist, "I'll be fine," as he did now. Ankh snorted.

                "You'd be better if you hadn't tried to interfere with the Yummy." Glaring at him, he added, "You knew it wouldn't have attacked its parent. Not if it wants to survive."

                Eiji glared back and tried to sit up, despite the heavy wings. Again, he couldn't quite manage it, nearly hitting Goto in the face as he lost his balance.

                "What was I supposed to do?" he argued anyway. "Let her get whatever it was trying to give her? Not like that hasn't backfired on us before!"

                "At least then you wouldn't be completely useless!" Ankh shouted back, enjoying the almost hurt expression of shock on Eiji's face. "Look at you—you can't even move! You're nothing but than a damn dead weight. How exactly are you supposed to fight the Yummy _and_ my imposter _and_ Maki like that? Even the Medals inside you can't get your body moving!"

                He watched Eiji grit his teeth, lower his gaze, clench his fist—all the little tells that he'd gotten under his skin. Good, let him get mad. Let him feel just a little bit what Ankh was feeling. He was so focused on Eiji that he never noticed Hina coming up, not until he felt his head rock back violently and the burning sting of her slap settle in.

                "Don't you dare," she warned, her voice shaking with fury. "After everything Eiji's done to you, don't you _dare_ say that about him."

                Ankh turned his glare on her, even as he clutched his face. Goto and Date both looked surprised, but Eiji wasn't even looking, still glowering at the floor.

                "Forget it, Hina," he said. "Just leave him alone."

                "Eiji..." she insisted, turning around.

                He let himself fall back to the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm tired right now. Thanks, guys, but...I'm just going to bed."

                "We'll keep looking for the Yummy," Goto promised.

                "Yeah," Date agreed. "We'll keep you informed, okay, Hino?" He started to clap Eiji on the shoulder before settling for gently patting at one of the wings while Eiji winced. "I'll be back to check on these in the morning, anyway."

                Eiji nodded noncommittally and closed his eyes, only so they'd leave. Ankh knew as soon as they did, he'd just open his eyes and stare into space for a few hours.

                Again, Hina took him by surprise, this time grabbing his wrist and pulling him along behind her. Pulling himself free wasn't an option, so he was forced to go along, complaining, until she let go on the other side of the door.

                "It wasn't enough you had to hit me, now you're breaking my arm too?" he demanded. "And you say I'm the one too rough with this body!"

                "Enough!" she screamed back at him.

                He couldn't help but flinch, afraid she might slap him again with that damnable strength of hers. But she didn't—instead, she glared at him coolly, putting him in mind of the ice that always spread out from PuToTyra post-transformation. If Hina could freeze him in place, she would; since she couldn't, she used her strength.

                "Don't you ever say that to Eiji again," she warned.

                "Huh?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

                "Calling him useless," she said, spitting out the word like a curse. "You have no idea how important it is for him to feel useful, and especially for you!"

                "Then maybe he should try actually being that for a change," Ankh spat back. "It would work out a lot better for the both of us."

                "Ankh!" she cried.

                "He's going to get us killed!" he shouted over her. "The only reason my imposter hasn't attacked me outright is because he knows better than to provoke Eiji. As long as he has those Medals, he's a threat to them. Well, now he can't even use them. What's stopping Kazari and Maki from coming here while he's lying in bed? How's he supposed to protect me, huh? Just fall over and hope his wings pin them down?"

                "All right, that's enough!" Date argued, putting himself right in the middle. "Don't forget, Hino can still hear you."

                "He's right," Goto agreed. "He's got enough to worry about, so let's not add to it."

                "Let him sleep on this for now," Date insisted. "Tomorrow, we can figure out what we're going to do about it, understand?" Ankh scoffed and started to open the door. "Anko, I mean it. Lay off him."

                Ankh snorted as he walked inside and slammed the door shut. Ahead of him, Eiji was still lying down, his eyes closed. It was downright childish.

                "You're not really sleeping, so give it up," Ankh said.

                Eiji didn't budge, showed no indication he was awake. Ankh knew better, though, and scoffed again.

                "Fine," he answered. "Be like that."

                He climbed into his nest and took out his phone, researching any leads online. Just because Eiji was going to be immature didn't mean he had to stoop down to that level. He could pretend to sleep all he wanted; Ankh was going to get some actual work done.

                And when Eiji was ready to grow up and admit how badly he'd messed up, Ankh would be waiting.

 

~~~

 

                Sleep refused to come for Eiji, with the constant ache of the wings on his back. They were heavy and cramped, with his body lying on top of them and pinning them into place, and he could feel a terrible pins-and-needles sensation that told him they were falling asleep. They were itchy, with stray feathers brushing up against his bare skin, both tickling and irritating wherever they touched.

                Worse still, they were _hot_ , trapping a pocket of heat right underneath him.

                He'd kicked off his sheets, but it didn't do much good. The best he could hope for was turning over and trying to sleep on his stomach.

                He squeezed his eyes tight as a sharp pain went through one of the wings as he started to turn over in bed. But what was easy for him before was just as impossible with wings—their weight tilted him all the way over, until he fell off the bed with a loud crash, one wing hitting the sewing desk beside his bed and the other tilting back the rocking chair.

                Suddenly, he realized Ankh's eyes were on him, and he tensed up, just waiting for him to laugh. He waited that way for a few minutes, until Ankh finally called out, "Eiji."

                "I'm fine," he insisted, trying to get to his hands and knees. The wings were going everywhere, and he had no idea how he was supposed to stand up. As he tried to turn, one wing hit the antique sewing machine, slid under the arm, and got stuck. When he tried to tug himself free, the entire thing came down on his leg.

                This time, Ankh stepped in, leaping off his nest and pulling Eiji up as the heavy machine slipped onto the floor.

                "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

                Eiji might have been in pain, but he was tired and angry first. He shoved Ankh back and gritted out, "Trying to sleep!" as he struggled to remain standing with one bad leg and two large wings. When he felt himself wobbling again, he leaned to the side and let himself fall on the bed, using his momentum to shift himself onto his front so the wings wouldn't be trapped. The whole time, he felt Ankh watching him, as if waiting for him to show any sign of weakness.        Eiji refused to let him have that. Just as he had earlier, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and laid his head down, waiting for Ankh to give up, click his tongue, and go back to bed.

                When he finally did, Eiji opened his eyes and stared at the wall for the rest of the hours until morning. There was no way he could be expected to sleep.

 

~~~

 

                Date and Goto came early, only to find the sewing machine lying on the floor and the rocking chair trapped by the spare sign against the other wall. Eiji lifted his head and forced a smile when he heard them come in.

                "Morning," he said, trying to keep his voice from sounding as tired as it was.

                "Hino, what happened here?" Goto asked.

                "I had a hard time sleeping, sorry," he admitted. "It's not easy turning over with these."

                Date picked up the sewing machine and set it back on the desk while Goto fixed the chair. There were torn feathers caught up in the machinery, and he asked, "You hurt yourself?"

                Eiji quickly shook his head, insisting, "No, it's fine," but Date moved over to check the wing anyway.

                "You've got blood right here," he said.

                "I'm okay," Eiji argued, but Date wasn't hearing him. Instead, he carefully helped him sit up and began examining the wings more closely. Once he was sitting, Eiji glanced over toward Ankh's nest, but it was empty—he'd stepped out, somewhere, he hoped. A sinking feeling, like a heavy stone, went through him.

                "I'm no bird expert," Date admitted, derailing Eiji's train of thought, "but these feathers definitely don't look like they should be here. They're too fluffy."

                "Fluffy?" Eiji asked, trying to look over his shoulder.

                "Like down," Date explained. "Not what you'd usually see on wings."

                Goto, who'd been quiet for a while, admitted, "I've heard that there's been evidence of dinosaurs with feathers. Maybe because of Hino's Medals..."

                That sinking feeling shot right back up again, with ice running through his veins. Eiji took a breath to try to calm himself down, and the wings twitched from his tension.

                "Careful there, Hino!" Date warned, trying not to get hit in the face.

                "Sorry," he admitted. "I'm not so good at moving them."

                "You can feel them just fine though, right?" he asked, and Eiji nodded. "Yeah, I can see—you've been scratching at them, haven't you?" Another nod, a little more reluctantly. "So the nerves are definitely connected—it's just a matter of figuring out how to make them work."

                Eiji remained still, slightly withdrawn. It was starting to settle in for him—the wings were _his_ , part of his body now, as much as his arms and legs. He was going to have to learn how to use them.

                "Ankh's gone?" Goto asked.

                Eiji nodded, trying to pull himself out of his shock. "I didn't hear him, though. He might have left in the middle of the night."

                "Stubborn bird, that Anko," Date said. "But at least we know he won't go far—not when the other him is still there."

                Part of Eiji wasn't so sure; Ankh had been vocal the other day about how little use Eiji was to him now. After all, what good was a mostly immobile OOO with as close to a literal albatross around his neck as possible?

                "Hino?" There was Date's voice to snap him out of it again. As he looked back over, he saw Date smiling at him. "How about we get you washed up, 'kay?"

                He nodded and let them help him stand. Even ignoring the pain in his leg, it was hard work staying on his feet; Date and Goto had to stand on either side of him to help him stay straight as they helped him into the bathroom. They didn't even bother a full shower and bath—just enough water to wash his back and wings.

                The transition from "the wings" to "his wings" was just as chilling as the air against his wet feathers.

                "Any sign of the Yummy?" he asked, trying to keep his mind off of it.

                Goto shook his head. "The candroids haven't picked up anything. Nobody's seen Yamaguchi either."

                "They must be together," he reasoned. "The Yummy still hasn't given her what she wants."

                "It's gonna take time, though," Date pointed out. "You beat that chicken pretty bad."

                "Albatross," Goto corrected automatically. "But he's right, you bought us some time. Maybe we'll be able to figure out what to do about these."

                Date nodded. "See if you can spread them out."

                Eiji closed his eyes and tried to focus on getting his wings to move, but try as he might, he couldn't manage more than a couple of twitches. It wasn't like moving his arm, which came automatically—he had to try to move his shoulder blades, and that only moved his wings so far. Concentrating too much on it was giving him a headache, and he had to stop, breathing heavily.

                "Don't overdo it, Hino," Goto warned. Then, looking at Date, he pointed out, "The wings were originally arrows shot into his back—maybe he won't be able to control them?"

                "Maybe," Date answered. "The only way to know is to wait."

                He handed Eiji a towel to dry off, giving him the chance to bury his face, hiding the dread in his expression. Once they got him up and back in his room, he searched for some kind of clothes to put on, finally settling on a jacket he could wear reversed. His back was still exposed, with his wings wet and cold, but it helped control some of the shivering.

                "Is there anything you need while we're still here?" Goto asked.

                Eiji shook his head, draping the towel over his wings. "Chiyoko probably still thinks I'm sick, so she'll probably bring up some food when she comes in. I'll get in bed and hide these when that happens."

                "All right," Date agreed. "We'll keep a look out for that chicken, 'kay?" Eiji nodded, and Date turned back to Goto. "Okay, let's see what we can find."

                Eiji smiled and waved after them as they left, but as soon as the door closed, he let his smile drop and turned to look at his wings. He took a couple more shaky breaths before carefully lying back down and pulling the covers over his head.

 

~~~

 

                Ankh came back sometime before noon. After spending the entire morning fruitlessly searching for the Yummy, he climbed through the window to find Eiji wrapped up in his quilt, bent over a bowl of rice porridge and glaring up at him.

                "Where were you?" he asked.

                "Out looking for the Yummy you lost," he answered. In response, Eiji just quietly glowered. Good—he needed to be reminded this whole mess was his fault in the first place.

                The door opened suddenly, and Eiji tensed, pulling the quilt over him a little more. But when Hina walked in, carrying a shirt, he relaxed visibly. Hina looked at Ankh in surprise for a minute before bringing Eiji the shirt.

                "I did the best I could, without Chiyoko getting suspicious," she explained.

                "Thank you!" he answered, smiling in relief as he set aside the bowl and let the quilt drop.

                He was wearing a jacket backwards, but his back was covered in goosebumps and his wings were trembling—shivering, Ankh realized. He shrugged off the jacket and let Hina help him into the shirt, which had slits cut into the back to fit over his wings, and as soon as it was on, Ankh could see the problem—damp splotches beginning to form on the fabric.

                "You got them wet?" Ankh asked, grabbing onto a wing.

                Eiji grimaced as Ankh pulled at it. "What was I supposed to do? I was sweating last night, and I got cut on the sewing machine!"

                The feathers were definitely still damp, and had lost some of their volume. The fluffiness had been what had made Eiji so hot, but now that they were wet, he couldn't warm back up. Ankh let out an aggravated breath and let go of Eiji's wing for his arm instead. "We need to get you dry."

                Eiji nearly fell over as Ankh pulled him off the bed now—he had no sense of balance with the wings throwing off his center of gravity. Ankh didn't let that stop him and started practically dragging him to the door, until Hina stepped in front of them.

                "You can't!" she warned. "Chiyoko's still down there, along with all of the customers."

                Ankh huffed in annoyance, then let go of Eiji and threw the quilt over him again. "Here, cover yourself up before we go down."

                Eiji did fall over this time, and Hina had to help him up and cover his wings. "Where are you taking me?"

                "Somewhere you can learn to move with those," he said flatly.

                He touched a nerve, and Eiji threw off his arm and took a step back, wings flaring out on their own.

                "And what if I don't want to go?" he challenged.

                Ankh stared him down calmly while Hina gasped. Eiji never even realized his feet were hovering off the floor.

                "Eiji, look," she breathed.

                He did, now, and his eyes widened in shock for a moment before he dropped, stumbling until Ankh caught him by the shirt collar.

                "Too bad," Ankh said, and Eiji didn't fight this time.

 

~~~

 

                They'd had to throw the quilt back over him, and Hina took care of distracting Chiyoko before she could see them leave. She stayed behind to take care of the customers while Ankh dragged Eiji across town to the outskirts of the park overlooking the town. At this time of day, nobody was around to see them.

                By the time they got there, Eiji collapsed. His lack of sleep had more than caught up with him, there was still a sizeable bruise on the back of his leg, and his back hurt from the strain of trying to stand. Ankh wasn't having any of that, though, and pulled him back to his feet roughly.

                "You can't make it only this far?" he asked. "No wonder you keep collapsing after combos."

                Despite his exhaustion, Eiji shoved Ankh away again. "You try standing up straight with these things on your back!"

                It was exactly the wrong thing to say. Ankh grabbed him around the throat this time, pulled him close, and hissed, "I have," before holding him there for a couple of seconds, watching his expression change from shock to anger. Eiji pushed himself free again, wings flaring out.

                "So, you manage to move them fine when you're mad," Ankh noticed, nonplussed. "Wonder how pissed off you have to get to fly."

                Eiji shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not flying with these."

                "You don't get a choice," Ankh argued, throwing him from the staircase.

                He'd aimed carefully to avoid Eiji from hitting the railing—his wings spread out instinctively, catching the air. It wasn't enough to fly with, but it got him off his feet for a moment. Refusing to give Eiji a second to recover, he attacked again, kicking him in the chest and watching him crumple. Again, his wings spread—this time upwards, as if he was getting ready to take off.

                The third time, however, Eiji was ready. As Ankh came at him to throw him again, he grabbed onto his wrists and grappled with him, pushing him against the railing.

                "I already told you, I'm not flying," he argued. "These are going to disappear when we defeat the Yummy, so what's the point anyway?"

                It was sound logic, or so he thought. It was safe. But Ankh knew that he tended to default to it when he was scared of revealing his true feelings on anything, and he pushed back, using the weight of Eiji's wings against him and nearly toppling him over.

                "The point is you don't stand a chance against it if you don't learn," he argued—Eiji's own safe logic. "And how do you know if they'll even disappear? The parent wants to fly, so she got wings. You get them too."

                Eiji hesitated just a second too long, and Ankh punched him in the face. It stopped him again, long enough that this time, Ankh was able to hold him over the edge of the railing.

                "You want to get away from me? Do it," he dared. "Open up your wings and _fly._ "

                He'd just about thrown Eiji off the railing when he caught a flash of purple in his eyes, at the exact same time he sensed the unmistakable aura of another Greeed.

                "Yeah, OOO, why don't you fly?" Kazari asked, lazily walking toward them in human guise. Following behind him like a lost duckling was Ankh's imposter.

                Recognizing the danger, Eiji started trying to push Ankh behind him, but Kazari didn't give him many options. Without even shifting forms, he held out a hand and blasted a whirlwind at them. Eiji's wings caught the wind immediately and spread completely, knocking Ankh off the railing. He himself was suspended in the air helplessly while shouting down, "Ankh, run!"

                Ankh didn't have the chance. The kid came over to him, manifesting his empty Greeed arm, unsettlingly purple. Ankh could feel the pull toward his Medals, knowing he couldn't overpower him, definitely couldn't protect himself from both his imposter _and_ Kazari. He had only one thing left he could try.

                He had to piss Eiji off completely.

                Summoning as much power as he could, he blasted red fire at Eiji. The purple Medals inside him sensed the incoming threat and emerged, transforming him before he realized what was happening. With a screech of fury and a blast of falling snow, PuToTyra stretched out his feathered wings and dove.

                His flight was uncontrolled, but effective—breaking free of the whirlwind and diving toward Ankh, just as he felt his hold on his Medals slipping completely. The backhand that sent him into the hillside almost came as a relief, especially because in Eiji's feral state, he couldn't distinguish just which of them had attacked him. The only solution, naturally, was to attack both of them.

                Ankh's imposter had seconds to assume his true form before PuToTyra flew into him, and he managed it only partially. His Cell Medals were still shifting form when the rampaging OOO slammed into him with full force, and he lost several when he went flying back. Now that he was on the ground, PuToTyra kept low, pulling his axe from the earth and taking one of the fallen Medals to charge up its blaster. Realizing how much danger he was in, the imposter reached toward Kazari for help, and his fellow Greeed sent down a whirlwind, kicking up enough dirt to mask their escape while PuToTyra fired, taking out part of the stairs.

                Slowly, Ankh stood up, knowing that Eiji was still out of control and still had enough energy to keep fighting. He kept his breathing quiet as the berserker that was his OOO, the one he'd chosen as his useful idiot. Eiji was scanning around in front of him, breathing heavily and grunting, searching for someone else to fight. Finally, he noticed Ankh and turned around, beating his wings to help his momentum. He was reactionary and prone to attacking at the slightest provocation. So Ankh decided to provoke him, one last time.

                He detached from the detective's body and shot into the air. Driven by a rage neither one of them could understand, Eiji took off after him, flapping his wings erratically. It was just what Ankh wanted to see, even as he had to keep rising to remain out of Eiji's reach—he was angry enough to keep going, keep pushing his body to do something that he was scared of, keep being that predictably stupid Eiji doing stupid, unpredictable things...

                Until exhaustion and what passed for reason in Eiji's mind finally won out, and the Medals retreated back into his body midair.

                There was no fear or alarm on Eiji's face as he suddenly began to fall—just a terrifying serenity as he lost consciousness. Now, it was Ankh's turn to dive, racing to grab the torn back of Eiji's shirt in time and slow his descent.

                They hit a tree on the way down and skidded down the hill. Eiji finally stopped at the foot of the hill, his wings askew as he lay on the ground. But he was alive, groaning in pain.

                Ankh couldn't wait for him to regain consciousness on his own. Angrily, he grabbed his face, demanding, "Why? Even with your life in danger, why didn't you keep flying?"

                Eiji wasn't in any shape to answer him, his eyes glazed over. Ankh let him fall again.

                "What are you so afraid of?"

                He didn't expect an answer, much less the one Eiji breathed out:

                "Not having control."

                He backed up in shock as a humorless smile spread across Eiji's lips—sarcastically honest, and more unsettling than the placating smiles he gave everyone else.

                "I know. First the Medals, now this? It's been like that all my life, really, whether it's watching helplessly as a little girl dies or while my parents lie about why I survived. I don't even get a choice if I want people to know my story or not."

                It was more than Ankh ever wanted to know—a glimpse into the darkness inside Eiji, PuToTyra given a voice at last. For a brief moment, he wondered if this was how Eiji felt, forced to bear witness to something without his say in the matter. If this was his revenge, however small.

                Eiji turned to his side with a wince, curling in on himself as he mumbled, "Why can I only be honest with you?"

                Ankh didn't know what to do for a moment, not until he realized Eiji had passed out again. Only then did he make his way up the hill to retrieve his borrowed body and call for help.

                As he slowly climbed back down, he was left to wonder just what Eiji had meant by that—was it that he never lied to Ankh, or that he never _could_ lie to him?

                Maybe the truth was somewhere in the middle, and that was more frightening.

 

~~~

 

                This time, they didn't bother trying to sneak past Chiyoko and go home. Instead, Ankh called Goto and Date to help drag Eiji to the Kougami Foundation. Whatever aggravation he would have felt about having to call in a favor to Kougami was minor compared to the bizarre sense of unease Eiji's show of bitterness had left him with.

                Eiji woke up by the time they reached the lab, which should have made it a lot easier when Date hauled him to the showers, but it only seemed to make it worse. He couldn't stand at all by that point, his body completely worn down by PuToTyra, and there wasn't a part of him that didn't hurt. Date basically had to do everything himself while Eiji cringed in pain and slumped up against the wall.

                "Sorry, to make you do all this," he said, as Date toweled him off.

                Date sighed; annoyed as he got with Eiji, it was hard to stay mad at him for long.

                "It's not your fault, Hino," he replied, knowing full well that it had been Ankh who'd taken him out there.

                Eiji just nodded as Date applied a compress to the middle of his back, flinching at the pain while his aching, soaked wings trembled.

                "They hurt, don't they?" Goto asked. When Eiji looked at him in surprise, he clarified, "The wings—do they hurt?"

                Slowly, he nodded. "I got them to move a few times, but they're muscles I've never used. I don't know what to do with them, so they hurt when I finally get them moving. Then add in the weight..."

                "Yeah," Date sighed. "Wish I could get some compresses on them, but they'd never stick to all these feathers, even dry."

                Eiji nodded again, pulling the towel around himself again as they helped him stand and dress. Ankh would yell at him again for getting his wings wet, but what good was arguing with Date and Goto about something none of them had any clue how to take care of?

                Satonaka was waiting in the lab when they returned, standing next to someone Eiji couldn't see. As soon as she saw them, she said, "Here he is," and stepped out of the way so he could see who it was.

                "Hina?" he asked in surprise, trying to step forward to meet her. Instead, he nearly fell, and both Date and Goto had to tighten their grip on him.

                "Are you okay?" she checked.

                "I'll leave you now," Satonaka insisted, carefully exiting.

                They helped him into the room, where Ankh was sitting back on a raised observation area, pointedly ignoring everyone. Eiji's cut-up shirt was on the back of a chair, catching Hina's eye, and Eiji quickly apologized, "Sorry I had to ask you to do that for nothing."

                She shook her head and smiled—just as fake a smile as he ever made. Had he taught her that? How to lie with a smile? He suddenly couldn't make eye contact and glanced over toward Ankh, who looked just as disturbed; he'd made the connection too. Eiji could only bring his eyes to the floor now.

                "It's okay," Hina promised. "And anyway, I brought something I thought might help."

                He still couldn't look up, even as Goto and Date helped him down onto a chair. He didn't look until he heard the sound of a hair dryer and felt warm air blowing onto his wings. This time, Hina's smile was genuine, a hint of amusement at the surprised and confused look on his face.

                "You got really cold before when your wings got wet," she explained. "So, I brought this."

                She glanced up toward Ankh, who didn't return her gaze. There was something painfully obvious that Eiji was missing, but neither of them seemed inclined to clue him in. Ankh continued to pretend he didn't exist and Hina continued to blow-dry his wings, and that was that. It was relaxing, and he didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until she was done, and he found himself lifting his head from the chair's backrest.

                "There," she said. "That should feel better."

                His back was relaxed, and between the heat and the compresses, his muscles were no longer aching. He managed to flex his wings a few inches, feeling only a twinge of the pain.

                "A lot better," he admitted. "Thanks."

                Hina again glanced toward Ankh, who again didn't bother, and Eiji again wished he knew why.

                As if Eiji's failure to understand was a cue to change the subject, Date said, "All right. We got a lead on where to find Yamaguchi, so we're going to go check it out."

                "I'll go too," Eiji insisted, struggling to get out of the chair.

                "Not after this," Goto argued. "You need to rest after everything."

                "I'll be fine," he promised. "I just need..."

                "You need sleep," Date said. "How much did you sleep last night?"

                Now, Ankh decided to speak, flatly saying, "Probably only when I left."

                Part of Eiji wanted to argue, insist that no, he hadn't been asleep, no matter what Ankh thought. But the other part of him knew that it would only hurt his case. Ankh had trapped him.

                They settled him onto the floor, Date apologizing, "I know it's not the most comfortable, but I've still got some of my stuff from when I crashed here. Get some sleep while we take care of the Yummy."

                They headed out, while Hina checked for Date's things. Eiji looked up toward Ankh, expecting him to send a candroid along after them. When it didn't happen, he asked, "You're not following them?"

                "No," was the answer.

                "Why not?" Eiji asked. "I thought..."

                "Whatever it is, you thought wrong."

                It wasn't like him. Even the way he cut off Eiji was unusual, something only did when he...

                "I found a sleeping bag," Hina said, walking in with a couple of bundles. "I know your wings won't fit, but maybe it'll help soften the floor a little. There was also a comforter."

                "Thank you," Eiji answered.

                She helped arrange the sleeping bag around him, creating something akin to a nest, before draping the comforter over him. But as soon as he tried to lie down, he ran into the same old problem—his wings were in the way, but this time, they hurt when he put his weight on them.

                "Stop," Ankh sighed, aggravated.

                Eiji bristled, ready for another fight as Ankh jumped down from the platform, snatching the comforter away. Hina gave him a warning look, but he only told Eiji, "You won't need this. Your wings will give you all the heat you need."

                It made sense, given how hot he'd been the other night. But he still had no idea what he was supposed to do, not until Ankh pushed at his wings.

                "You need to tuck these in around yourself," he explained. "Then lie down."

                Eiji tried, but there were too many tender spots on his wings, particularly from the sewing machine. Realizing the problem, Hina started slipping the comforter underneath him, making sure there was enough to cushion him. It really was like a nest, just like how Ankh preferred to sleep on his high platforms. Eiji would have to be a ground-nester, but it still worked the same.

                This time, he was able to lie down without putting too much pressure on any particular points or trapping too much heat underneath him. Finally, Hina smiled and said, "I have to head back, but I'll call to check on you later, okay?"

                He nodded. "Thanks."

                She nodded back with another smile and gave a grateful look toward Ankh before walking out the door. As he lay on the floor, Eiji started to wonder if maybe Ankh had something to do with why she'd come and come prepared.

                He was asleep before he could think too much about it, though, and Ankh retreated to the platform, undisturbed.

 

~~~

 

                The sudden sense of the Yummy nearby was perfectly familiar to Ankh, waking him from a light nap. His eyes snapped open, and he sat up automatically, frowning as he waited.

                Eiji, on the other hand, still wasn't used to the way his Medals reacted to such a presence.  He jumped as they started pulsing, his heart pounding as went from deep sleep to awake and alert with no transition between. His wings flared out, hitting the steps to the platform.

                Ankh watched Eiji flail around, tears streaming down his face from waking suddenly.

                "You okay?" he checked.

                "Huh?" Eiji asked, glancing up for a moment before wiping his eyes. "Yeah. It's here, right?"

                "Yeah," Ankh answered, settling back down.

                Eiji watched him in confusion. "You're really not going after it?"

                "And do what?" he asked. "It's a trap, and you know it."

                Eiji went silent, and at once, they understood the truth about the other—Ankh was just as scared of this battle as Eiji was of flying. There was too much they couldn't control about their situation, and it would only put them...it would put Ankh in danger; he knew that Eiji hadn't even considered the threat to himself.

                That was why it was only infuriating, not surprising, when Eiji got up unsteadily and walked out the door.

                "Don't even," Ankh warned. "You don't stand a chance."

                Predictably, Eiji waited for half a second before continuing down the hall. Knowing he didn't stand a chance himself of stopping Eiji, Ankh followed, hoping he could give him a combo that wouldn't get him killed.

                What Ankh didn't predict, however, was that he headed to the elevator, not the door, and that the elevator was heading up. It wasn't hard to guess that he was headed to the roof, and he had to head up on the next elevator.

                Eiji had the benefit of a few minutes' head start, even with his wings and injuries slowing him down. He tried to keep his back muscles relaxed while keeping his center of gravity balanced, and it got him to the edge of the roof, just as Ankh came running up behind him.

                "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ankh screamed.

                He was afraid to reach out for him, knowing he just might knock Eiji off the ledge. Eiji himself wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to stand there anyway. He glanced down and saw the Yummy flying circles around Date while blasts from Goto's Birth Buster failed to hit their target.

                Ankh understood what he was thinking and insisted, "You can't help like this."

                "Maybe I can't," he admitted, feeling a terrible twinge in his chest as the Medals fed off his empty sense of helplessness. "But if I can just distract the Yummy long enough, maybe Date can..."

                "Distract it?" Ankh asked, finally gathering the courage to grab Eiji and turn him around. Eiji wobbled, but Ankh held tight to him, keeping him from going over the edge. "You're going to get yourself killed! That's not going to help anyone!"

                Eiji didn't answer, looking at the fear in Ankh's eyes. Knowing this was his last chance to get him to stop, he insisted, "I still need you to reclaim my body. Until that happens, you can't do anything as stupid as this."

                It wasn't the same thing he'd said a day ago, and as if it was holding back the purple void inside him, Eiji repeated, "You still need me?"

                Realizing he'd said too much, Ankh stopped, staring at him for a moment, finally understanding just why Hina had gotten so mad at him.

                This had been both the right and wrong thing to say. Eiji smiled and pushed himself away.

                "I guess we'll just have to see how useful I am."

                He turned before he fell, trying to get his wings to catch the wind as Ankh had shown him, keeping them outstretched, trying to remain in the air even as the ground came closer and closer.

                Ankh couldn't wait any longer. He detached once more and dove after him, propelling himself faster and faster so he could reach Eiji before he hit the ground. He finally got close enough to grab one of Eiji's wings and desperately yanked on it—it wasn't enough to catch him entirely, but it jerked his body, forcing him to flap his wings and straighten himself out.

                It stopped him from falling.

                "Like that," Ankh insisted. "You feel it?"

                He did now, and he nodded, grinning back at Ankh as he began flapping them himself, maintaining a steady hover, steady enough that Ankh could let go.

                Below, Yamaguchi had spotted him and burned with envy. The albatross Yummy responded to her increased desire and started flying their way.

                "Looks like we got its attention," Eiji noticed.

                "Hmph," Ankh responded, producing the TaToBa Medals. "Don't lose this time."

                "I won't," Eiji agreed, taking them and transforming.

                As the power of the Medals swirled around him, the feathers in his wings began to change color to match—black, much to Ankh's relief, rather than red, yellow, and green.

                The albatross was closing in fast, and even though Eiji had finished, he wasn't yet ready to defend himself. Ankh blasted fire at it, buying Eiji just a few more seconds' time—just enough for him to extend his claws and rush at it.

                The attack tore a few feathers free from the Yummy's wings, feathers that reverted to Cell Medals as they fell. But it was still strong enough to force Eiji back far enough that it could shoot at him with more arrows. Eiji raised his arms to block, but the tips were as sharp as ever, cutting past his armor.

                "This isn't enough!" he pleaded. "Ankh, what about Gorilla?"

                "Too heavy," he argued. "You're still getting the hang of this. Try this for now."

                He tossed over the ShaUTa Medals this time, and Eiji didn't miss a beat scanning them. Again, the colors swirled around him, dying his wings bright blue. This time, when the Yummy came for him, he was able to grab onto it and electrify it with his whips, then propelled himself up and over to kick it over and over with his tentacles.

                But the combo didn't work nearly as well airborne, particularly with wings attached. Eiji was slower, and the Yummy took advantage of it, curling in on itself and throwing off his balance before he could compensate for it. He was forced to let go, and the Yummy threw him to the ground.

                For a moment, Eiji could hardly breathe from the pain, and his ears were ringing loudly enough that he could barely pick out Date and Goto screaming his name as they tried to approach while also trying to keep Yamaguchi out of harm's way.

                Ankh, of course, was the first one at his side, having returned to Shingo's body. Breathing sharply, Eiji tried to sit up, even as the Yummy fired more arrows down on top of them. As before, Ankh provided just enough fire to give him time to get back on his feet.

                "I don't think I can keep this one up," Eiji admitted, shaking his head with fatigue. "Can we try TaToBa again?"

                Ankh let out an impatient "tch" before taking out the Medals again. "It's not going to be strong enough."

                "I know," he said, taking them and switching out. "Date, I need a favor."

                Date skidded in his tracks, looking toward him with surprise. "This isn't going to cost me more Medals, is it?"

                Eiji winced, bowing slightly. "Maybe just a few—think you can hold it still for me?"

                "Well, all right," he sighed. "It'd be nice to be rid of that chicken anyway."

                It cost two Cell Medals—one to activate Drill Arm, and one to activate Crane Arm. But Eiji was sure it was worth it as it lashed out at the Yummy, ripping a few Cells from it. It swooped down toward him, trying to throw him off his feet, but he tumbled out of the way, giving Goto a clear shot with the Birth Buster. The albatross had to focus on deflecting, which allowed Date to grab onto it with the Crane, holding it tight.

                That was Eiji's opening, and he leapt into the air, propelling himself even higher with his wings as he scanned the Medals in his belt. Power was gathering in rings below him, lining up toward the Yummy, but he'd only slow his descent if he kept his wings outstretched. With a glance down at Ankh, he tucked them in close to his back and fell, straight down through the rings. The power of the hawk, the tiger, and the grasshopper flowed into his body as his feet struck the albatross, causing it to explode into Cell Medals.

                And then his feet touched solid earth again and the wings disappeared from his back—much in the way Ankh's had, once, but this time coming as a huge relief. They left nothing but a small pile of Cell Medals and a pair of slightly bloodied arrows behind him as he canceled his transformation.

                "Nice haul!" Date cheered as he started to collect the Cell Medals. But the moment he started to come over toward the ones by Eiji, Ankh stood in the way, holding out his Greeed hand like a threat.

                "These are ours," he insisted. "We've more than earned them."

                "Ankh," Eiji argued, his voice tired as he reached down for the Medals. He fell over immediately, but he still managed to pick up two and held them out to Date. "There—to make up for the two you had to use."

                Ankh stared at him in disbelief, but Date only laughed as he took the Medals.

                "Nice and honest, just like always—I like that about you, Hino," he said, and neither of them were sure he was aware of the irony. "Don't worry about cleanup—we'll take care of it. You go home and rest."

                And with that, he canceled his own transformation and walked toward Goto, who was already talking to Yamaguchi and trying to make her understand how her simple desire had gotten so out of hand.

                "Heh," Ankh noted. "You get out of giving the parent her pep talk."

                "I kind of like that, though," Eiji admitted, turning over so he could lie on his back. "But at least I know Date's really good at helping them, so I'm not too worried about it."

                He was trying to smile, but his true face was showing through—he was exhausted, and at least around Ankh, he didn't have to put unnecessary effort into keeping up his mask. More concerned than he wanted to be, Ankh asked, "How's your back?"

                "Sore, but I'll be okay," he promised. "Right now, I think I just want to stay like this for a little while."

                Honest, the way he should have been with everyone else. The way he could only be with Ankh. Maybe the way it should be after all.

                Instead of focusing on that, Ankh followed Eiji's gaze to the sky—specifically, to the roof he'd just flown from.

                "So," he said. "You flew."

                Eiji looked over at him in concern, understanding all of the conflicted emotions he was going through.

                "Ankh," he said carefully, "you're going to too, someday. I promise."

                Ankh had no doubt that Eiji would make that happen. He was useful that way.

                "Heh," he answered. "So is that you asking me to catch you when you fall?"

                It didn't quite strike a nerve, but it did get Eiji defensive, and he started to sit up, arguing, "That's not it. I promised I'd help you, right?"

                Ankh wasn't quite sure why he'd asked that question in the first place; maybe he just wanted to test Eiji's honesty with him. Maybe he wanted to hear a yes, with full conviction.

                Maybe he didn't, because he found himself warning, "You can't always count on me being there to catch you."

                Eiji was still bristling a little, grumbling, "I know that. But you said it yourself, right? As long as I'm useful, then I know you will."

                At least one of them could be honest in this whole arrangement, but at least he also let Ankh hide behind promises they probably shouldn't have made in the first place.

                Ankh turned his face away so Eiji couldn't see the smile that threatened to slip out as he replied, "Idiot."

                He was sure if he'd turned, he'd see the same on Eiji's face.


End file.
